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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (63020)	10/20/2002 9:47:08 AM
From: epicure	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

I can't remember which posters had doubts about Saudi financing of Terror- so I'm printing this to CH- but I know he wasn't the one arguing with me: >>Wealthy Saudis identified as Al-Qaeda backers US seeks united front with Europe to freeze assets and force Saudi Arabia to crack down on terrorist financiers WASHINGTON - US intelligence has identified about a dozen of Al-Qaeda's principal financial backers, most of them wealthy Saudis, and a top American envoy is on his way to Europe to seek a united front to freeze their assets. Mr Jimmy Gurule, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for enforcement, said he would begin a six- day visit to Europe tomorrow to present his counterparts with 'specific information on selective, high- impact targets' so they can 'be designated terrorist financiers and have their assets blocked'. 'We want to engage in a very specific level of information on these targets where we want the European Union to take action,' he said. 'It goes beyond general statements and requests to specific people and entities we want authorities to act against... More important than the number is the high impact these targets have,' he added. Another senior official said the list targets people who have given tens of millions of dollars to Osama bin Laden's terrorist organisation through the years by routing the money through charities and legitimate businesses around the world. Since the Sept 11 terror attacks, the United States has frozen US$112 million (S$201 million) in terrorist assets, designated 240 people and organisations as terrorist supporters and moved against several large Islamic charities in the US. But senior US officials said that, until recently, they had not been able to trace the money to its source. Now, they said, recent intelligence gathered through interviews with captured Al-Qaeda operatives and other methods has given them a clearer picture of where much of the terror network's money originates. The list, the official said, goes 'to the cheque writers who give the money to Al-Qaeda, not just the facilitators and those who move the money around. We are finally getting to the source'. The official said most of the alleged financiers were wealthy Saudi bankers and businessmen. Because the Saudi government has previously proven uncooperative in confronting its prominent citizens about links to terror, the US has not yet sought its help in the new effort, officials said. Instead, the government hopes to freeze their assets in Europe, where the Saudi financial and business empires have much of their money. The government also hopes to put together the broadest possible consensus to demand that the Saudi government crack down on the alleged terror financiers, they said. Acting unilaterally, Washington can freeze only assets in the US, where few of the businessmen have money or businesses. Mr Gurule is scheduled to visit Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, all banking centres with strict secrecy laws. He will also go to Denmark, which holds the presidency of the EU, and Sweden, which is a member of the multinational Financial Action Task Force.-- The Washington Post<< straitstimes.asia1.com.sg